Rita Lee, one of the most influential voices in Brazilian music who revolutionized the country’s rock-and-roll scene, died on Monday at her home in São Paulo. Her family announced her passing on Tuesday morning, via Instagram. Her funeral will be held on Wednesday at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo and will be open to the public.
Ms. Lee was battling lung cancer. Despite the disease having reportedly been in remission, she had had multiple stints in hospital recently, the latest being in February.
Along with brothers Sergio Dias and Arnaldo Batista, Rita Lee was a member of Os Mutantes, arguably the most famous and influential Brazilian rock band worldwide.
The trio, created in the mid-1960s, revolutionized psychedelic rock and gained global adulation with their provocative yet well-humored musical style.
In 1968, they performed the discordant “É Proibido Proibir” (“It is Forbidden to Forbid”) with singer Caetano Veloso for an audience of conservative students at the Rio de Janeiro International Song Festival. In their third album, they included a song called “Ave Lúcifer” (“Hail Lucifer”), in which they argue that Satan was simply one of Eden’s pleasures — to the awe and shock of heavily Catholic Brazil.
Their sound blended influences from several different Brazilian and foreign styles. Sometimes, they were accused of being part of the “Americanization” of Brazilian culture — facing pushback from local artists. Still, Os Mutantes were a crucial proponent of Tropicália, a movement that changed Brazilian culture in the 1960s.
The band released three albums between 1968 and 1974. In 1972, Ms. Lee left the trio, and not on friendly terms. She would not return when Os Mutantes attempted a reunion in the early 2000s, nor did she take part in the band’s live album, recorded at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2006.
Even decades later (and without Rita Lee), Os Mutantes were still capable of drawing young audiences to their concerts — a testament to their relevance and influence through the years.
Ms. Lee went on to have a successful career as a solo artist, releasing 34 albums and winning the Latin Grammy Award for Best Portuguese Language Rock Album in 2001 with “3001”.
“Love you forever. A huge part of me died today,” her son Beto Lee, who is also a singer, wrote on Instagram.
Ms. Lee had imagined her death in an autobiography published in 2016. “When I die, I can imagine the affectionate words from people who hated me. […] No politician will dare turn up at my funeral, as I never went to any of their events and I would rise from my coffin to boo them,” she wrote.
She also imagined her epitaph: “She was never a good example, but she was one of the good guys.”
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